What to do if you didn't get the A level results you wanted

A-Level results day is really overwhelming. Years of hard work, revision timetables and sleepless nights culminate in a few letters on paper.

This year, 416,310 students got a place at university: For those who got their desired results and uni place, WELL DONE!

For those who didn’t, don’t panic. It’s normal to feel a bit sad and worry – especially given that quite often it seems like there is only one option – but actually, there’s still plenty.

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First off, have a chat with people you trust and love. Talk to your parents, teachers and friends about how you feel and discuss what you could do next.

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If you’re still set on heading to university but didn’t get the marks your conditional offer asked for, there are a number of steps you can take.

1. Give the uni you applied to a call

They still might accept you! There are actually more university places available this year than normal so you are in a good position. This is because there are fewer 18 year olds in the population, universities and colleges in England have more of a free reign to recruit who they want and there are less students applying from the EU.

If it doesn’t go to plan with your first choice uni, do the same and get in touch with your insurance choice to talk through the options.

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2. Go through clearing

Clearing is often touted as being a bit of a manic and scary option, but it’s actually super easy to navigate and there are around 45,000 courses with clearing vacancies on UCAS’ website.

Clearing is a system operated by UCAS which lets you know all the unis and colleges across the country which still have placed on their courses. It’s essentially re-applying to a uni course but way easier because you’ve already done your personal statement and have got your results. UCAS has a bunch of how-to videos on their website to guide you through it.

UCAS’ director of external relations Helen Thorne has said that, in 2016, 65,000 students found uni places through clearing - so that's one in eight of all uni students who got their through the clearing system.

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The system moves really quickly too, if you apply today. Last year, more than half of those who applied on results day heard by the following Monday. The service is open until September but obviously the number of places will reduce as time goes on and more people get places.

3. Resits and appeals

It can be really tough if you missed out on going to uni because of a bad exam or piece of coursework. If you want to give it all another go, you normally have the option to, you just need to talk to your school/college and your teachers about this.

It has also been known for exam boards and teachers to make mistakes – they are only human after all, as difficult as that might be to accept. If you notice something that doesn’t quite sit right with your results - like if you were predicted an A but came out with a U - then take note of your instinct and talk to your parents and teachers.

Through your school or college, you can request a review of marking or moderation and then once you’ve seen what’s gone on then you can appeal. It’s best to do this asap to get the best chance of getting a uni place.

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While, of course, this does not guarantee the uni will accept you, keep them in the know as potentially they might hold a place while waiting for the outcome of the review. Once you have them, try and send your results to the uni by 31st August – there’s more info here.

4.Do you qualify for adjustment?

If you are particularly lucky and actually want to change your uni option because you got higher grades than expected there’s a process called ‘adjustment’ which is available from today until 31st August.

So if you got your first choice and now have an unconditional offer from your first choice uni, you can swap it. For example, if you were accepted to your uni on the premise of getting BBB but you actually got ABB you might now be eligible for other unis and courses which you preferred.

Students in London receiving their A-level results today

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It works by contacting the admissions offices at the uni you want to go to and telling them you’re now applying through adjustment. For starters, confirm you are just getting information at this stage and you haven’t made any absolute decisions.

If they come back with an offer, then you can choose to accept it.

5. If you’re no longer sure about uni

If you had your heart set on uni or, on the other hand, were always slightly apprehensive about it and now having received your results you don’t quite know what to do, that’s okay.

If you didn’t get the results you wanted and now your whole plan of going to uni is thrown in the air, that’s fine, it is a very small time frame to try and make life choices.

The world is your oyster: You can take the rest of the summer to chill, look for a job and start earning the dollar or take a gap year where you can travel or volunteer.

UCAS told us that if you’re not sure, sometimes it’s best to wait until next year. Half of people who don’t get in the first time apply again and then 85% of those get in the second time. Have hope.

Although careers advisor meetings might have seemed pointless at school (I swear I had one when I was 16 and very confused) use the school’s careers advisors and trusted teachers as much as possible now. They are experienced and there to help you.

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